Jammin’
by Benjamin C. Reynolds
I believe in jammin’.
With today’s roadways becoming more and more crowded, and lifestyles busier and busier, driving can become a quite a chore. Even for drivers who do not have to make an hour commute or brave rivers of gridlock each day, routine driving is often a deflating, tiring, or infuriating experience. However, a practice of mine—which has become almost religious—has helped me to avoid this problem.
I believe in turning my music up extremely loud and singing at the top of my lungs when I am driving. Not only is it funny and outrageous for others to observe, it is outrageously fun for me to do. Some may say that being a motorist-diva or street D.J. has certain downsides, such as a driver’s appearance of being completely insane or the inherent dangers of distracted driving and I agree with them. But I must declare that the upsides of jammin’ on the road are so numerous and rewarding that one would be insane not to jam.
From two and a half years of driving, and a lifetime of loving many genres of music, I have discovered jammin’ offers immense reflective and meditative qualities. On my way to class a few Mondays ago I put on an Earth Wind and Fire CD. The first song was “Reasons” (The reasons that we’re here/The reasons that we’re here/After all the reasons why…). Before I had gotten in my truck and turned up the tunes, my day wasn’t going so well and I was fairly angry with the world. But after hearing the sweet harmonies and funky bass lines of Earth Wind and Fire, my mind was at ease and my voice was aflight. The song actually made me ponder the reasons why I am here, why I am alive. And all of my reasons for being upset faded away. My time driving was surprisingly therapeutic. Also, I am never alone when I jam, even if it is just me in the car. I am often accompanied by Tenacious D, Norma Jean, Bone Thugz in Harmony, E.L.O., The Clash, Bob Dylan, Sublime, Dear and the Headlights, and Duke Ellington, all in the nacho-cheese-stained interior of my ’95 Nissan Pickup.
Another advantage of jammin’ is that when I get into a song, it is hilariously entertaining for passengers and other motorists, and especially me. I believe that it brightens someone’s day to look over at my truck and see this hyperactive, shaggy-haired goofball of a dude who is straight up getting down. Sometimes I rock air-guitars to 80’s glam-metal from Winger or the Scorpions, other times I glow-stick to British house or techno, and still other times I act like I am in a rap battle with the bumper of the vehicle in front of me. Even if people do not appreciate my concert on wheels, I am still shaking things up in their boring driving lives. And that gives me great joy.
I figure that my vehicle’s energy, once emitted, inevitably has a negative impact on the environment and hence, the human race. However, I can control the impact of my mental energy’s output. The decisions that I make while driving directly affect those around me, so why not let loud choruses and face-melting solos fill the streets instead of thunderous death threats and one-fingered-salutes? Why not pass the time in traffic going the speed limit and digging some jazz instead of cursing and cutting off soccer moms? Whether I am moving or in a jam, I would rather just jam and move my body. In the words of the late Bob Marley, “We jammin’ and we hope you like jammin’ too.”
This I believe.